Thinking Critically A Concise Guide

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Designed as a brief, supplemental text for any course in which critical thinking is a key component, this Concise version of Chaffee's acclaimed Thinking Critically teaches the fundamental thinking, reasoning, reading, and writing abilities that students need for academic success. This streamlined text highlights skill development. Engaging exercises, discussion topics, reading, and writing assignments encouraging active participation and provide structured opportunities for students to develop thinking processes. Diverse readings and assignments covering a range of controversial topics--from AIDS and substance abuse to patriotism--guides students in thinking about complex issues.

Preface

xi

Thinking

1

(35)

Living an ``Examined'' Life

4

(2)

Working Toward Goals

6

(9)

Achieving Short-Term Goals

8

(1)

Achieving Long-Term Goals

9

(2)

Thinking Passage: My American Journey

11

(1)

From My American Journey

11

(4)

Colin Powell

Making Decisions

15

(5)

An Organized Approach to Making Decisions

16

(4)

Analyzing Issues

20

(9)

What Is the Issue?

22

(1)

What Is the Evidence?

23

(3)

What Are the Arguments?

26

(2)

What Is the Verdict?

28

(1)

Final Thoughts

29

(7)

Thinking Passage: Jurors' Reasoning Processes

32

(1)

``Jurors Hear Evidence and Turn It into Stories''

32

(4)

Daniel Goleman

Thinking Critically

36

(41)

Thinking Actively

41

(4)

Influences on Your Thinking

41

(3)

Becoming an Active Learner

44

(1)

Carefully Exploring Situations with Questions

45

(4)

Thinking Independently

49

(3)

Viewing Situations from Different Perspectives

52

(5)

Supporting Diverse Perspectives with Reasons and Evidence

57

(5)

Discussing Ideas in an Organized Way

62

(9)

Listening Carefully

65

(1)

Supporting Views with Reasons and Evidence

65

(1)

Responding to the Points Being Made

66

(1)

Asking Questions

66

(1)

Increasing Understanding

66

(1)

Looking Critically @ Evaluating Internet Information

67

(4)

Becoming a Critical Thinker

71

(6)

Thinking Passage: Liberty Versus Security

72

(1)

``Liberty v Security'' by The Economist

72

(5)

Solving Problems

77

(31)

Thinking Critically About Problems

78

(1)

Introduction to Solving Problems

79

(3)

Solving Complex Problems

82

(21)

Accepting the Problem

85

(2)

Step 1: What Is the Problem?

87

(4)

Step 2: What Are the Alternatives?

91

(3)

Step 3: What Are the Advantages and/or Disadvantages of Each Alternative?

94

(2)

Step 4: What Is the Solution?

96

(3)

Step 5: How Well Is the Solution Working?

99

(4)

Solving Nonpersonal Problems

103

(5)

Thinking Passage: Living with Diversity

105

(1)

``Racism Creeps into Campus Lives''

105

(3)

Lisa Haarlander

Perceiving, Believing, and Knowing

108

(47)

Actively Selecting, Organizing, and Interpreting Sensations

110

(8)

People's Perceptions Differ

113

(3)

Viewing the World Through Lenses

116

(2)

What Factors Shape Perceptions?

118

(15)

Five Accounts of the Assassination of Malcolm X

120

(3)

Eight Accounts of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon Attacks

123

(8)

Thinking Passage: Experiences Shape Your Perceptions

131

(1)

``Acquired Knowledge''

131

(2)

Anonymous

Thinking Critically About Perceptions

133

(4)

Constructing Beliefs

137

(2)

Believing and Knowing

139

(3)

Knowledge and Truth

142

(13)

Stages of Knowing

143

(6)

Thinking Passage: Perceptions of Patriotism

149

(1)

``Flag Fever: The Paradox of Patriotism''

150

(5)

Blaine Harden

Reporting, Inferring, and Judging

155

(35)

Reporting Factual Information

159

(4)

Inferring

163

(6)

Judging

169

(14)

Differences in Judgments

170

(3)

Thinking Critically About Moral Judgments

173

(3)

The Thinker's Guide to Moral Decision-Making

176

(6)

Why Be Moral?

182

(1)

Final Thoughts

183

(7)

Thinking Passage: Character and Intellect

184

(1)

``The Disparity Between Intellect and Character''

184

(6)

Robert Coles

Constructing Arguments

190

(36)

Recognizing Arguments

194

(9)

Cue Words for Arguments

196

(1)

Thinking Passages: Legalizing Drugs

197

(1)

``Drugs''

198

(1)

Gore Vidal

``The Case for Slavery''

199

(3)

A. M. Rosenthal

Arguments Are Inferences

202

(1)

Evaluating Arguments

203

(6)

Truth: How True Are the Supporting Reasons?

203

(3)

Validity: Do the Reasons Support the Conclusion?

206

(2)

The Soundness of Arguments

208

(1)

Understanding Deductive Arguments

209

(7)

Application of a General Rule

210

(1)

Modus Ponens

211

(1)

Modus Tollens

212

(1)

Disjunctive Syllogism

213

(3)

Final Thoughts

216

(10)

Thinking Passage: Human Cloning

216

(1)

``Cloning Human Beings'' by National Bioethics Advisory Commission

216

(10)

Reasoning Critically

226

(49)

Inductive Reasoning

227

(1)

Empirical Generalization

228

(5)

Is the Sample Known?

229

(1)

Is the Sample Sufficient?

229

(1)

Is the Sample Representative?

230

(3)

Fallacies of False Generalization

233

(3)

Hasty Generalization

233

(1)

Sweeping Generalization

234

(1)

False Dilemma

235

(1)

Causal Reasoning

236

(7)

The Scientific Method

237

(6)

Causal Fallacies

243

(4)

Questionable Cause

243

(1)

Misidentification of the Cause

244

(1)

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

244

(1)

Slippery Slope

245

(2)

Fallacies of Relevance

247

(11)

Appeal to Authority

248

(1)

Appeal to Tradition

249

(1)

Bandwagon

249

(1)

Appeal to Pity

250

(1)

Appeal to Fear

251

(1)

Appeal to Flattery

251

(1)

Special Pleading

252

(1)

Appeal to Ignorance

252

(2)

Begging the Question

254

(1)

Straw Man

255

(1)

Red Herring

255

(1)

Appeal to Personal Attack

256

(1)

Two Wrongs Make a Right

257

(1)

The Critical Thinker's Guide to Reasoning

258

(17)

What Is My Initial Point of View?

258

(1)

How Can I Define My Point of View More Clearly?

258

(1)

What Is an Example of My Point of View?

259

(1)

What Is the Origin of My Point of View?

259

(1)

What Are My Assumptions?

260

(1)

What Are the Reasons, Evidence, and Arguments That Support My Point of View?